Details
- Released: March 6, 2020
- Purchased: Dec 1, 2020
- Discounted at Purchase? Yes, 25% off
- Bingo Category: “Has Romanceable Characters”
- Time played: 2.6hrs
Why this game?
From the store page, I know there was some potential to marry off princesses and such. I don’t know if that’s necessarily romantic, but it could be.
Review
This is one of those games where player choices matter. A lot. Like from the very first decision point, you can lose the game. I know because I tried it! That said, it’s not a roguelike. After playing for an hour, I decided of out nowhere to restart. I wasn’t doing poorly, but I was curious if the NPCs or story would change. It didn’t. I was presented with the exact same NPCs and their quests. Making the same decision, the result was the same.
Importantly, it’s rarely clear how a decision will shake out. If I give a peasant some of the limited gold from the treasury to build an inn, what do I get out of it? What does the kingdom gain? Will he actually build the inn? Even if he does, it’s possible it might not even profitable. Which would be a waste of precious gold. Saving a lost child might improve relations with the people of my kingdom. But is it worth tying up my general for two turns? What if I need him for something else more important? It’s hard to say.
So decisions are often made blindly. Which is how it sometimes is in real life. I’m the ruler here. The king. I’m “paid” to make the decisions for everyone. And my decisions affect everyone. One wrong move and the enemy may be at the castle gates!
There is some resource management here, too. I mentioned the limited gold treasury, but there’s also farmed goods, soldiers, the people’s happiness, and even carrier pigeons, that have to be managed. Same goes will allies. I may have an ally, but that doesn’t mean the ally is helping for free. What does the ally want? Money? Perhaps my daughter’s hand in marriage? Will my ally help at all?
Verdict
I enjoyed it. I thought it was going to be a slow start, but honestly, it ramps up pretty quickly. I felt the tension and worry from my decisions. Did I make the right choice? I sure hoped so.
Will I come back to this game? Not sure. Sounds weird right? I said I enjoyed it. But there’s a reason I play a lot of JRPGs, which are known for their linearity. I often like being told a story as opposed to participating in the story. I never really liked those “choose your own adventure” books as a kid. And that’s exactly what this is. We’ll see.
